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Labour will keep free schools

Labour has dropped its opposition to the Conservatives' free schools policy, the new shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt has signalled. Mr Hunt expressed regret for dismissing the policy as a "vanity project for yummy mummies".

Labour 'behind' Gove's flagship free schools

Labour is "not in the business of taking free schools down, the newly appointed shadow education secretary has said today, after he signalled that the party would drop its opposition to the Conservatives' flagship free schools.

Tristam Hunt told the Mail on Sunday:

We are not going to go back to the old days of the local authority running all the schools - they will not be in charge.

We will keep those free schools going. We aren't in the business of taking them down. We have to clear up this question which has dogged Labour education policy since we entered opposition and since Michael Gove began his reforms, as to what we'd do. We just want to say, 'You are setting up these schools, we are behind you'.